Two Campbell women are volunteering long hours to provide disaster relief to victims of a mudslide that destroyed a rural mountainside community northeast of Seattle on March 22. As of April 8, 33 people were confirmed to have been killed by the slide, according to the Associated Press.

Ann Herosy, a member of the Disaster Services Leadership Team of the American Red Cross Silicon Valley chapter, flew to Washington on March 28. She expected to return to Campbell April 8. This is her 15th or 16th deployment.

Barbara Rudnicki of Campbell was on her first-ever disaster volunteer trip with the Red Cross.

On March 31, Herosy was in her fourth day of volunteering in Washington. During a phone conversation, she looked out the window of a noisy warehouse and could see snow-covered peaks in the distance. She didn't realize they were there before that moment because the previous three days were rainy. Periods of rain and wind have hampered rescue efforts, according to the Associated Press.

"I think a sunny day will do a lot of good for people," she said.

Herosy works as a liason between the Red Cross and community organizations, agencies, stores, nonprofits and churches who know the community. The Red Cross connects with the local groups to find out what is needed and how the organization can use its resources for the most good.

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"We combine their local knowledge with our resources so that we can use our resources wisely," she said.

Groups of people are still digging through the debris caused by the mudslide, and there are still many people missing, Herosy said. The Red Cross takes care of the survivors, she added.

Red Cross representatives are meeting with the families of survivors or those who have lost someone in the mudslide. "We are standing by to find out what needs we can fulfill," Herosy said.

Funerals started the first week of April, she added.

Herosy described working with the Red Cross as "different" than her previous job, which was software development.

"I've learned a lot about how people react in a disaster and how communities come together to help each other," she said.

"When I'm out here doing this, I represent the Red Cross but I'm basically part of the community, helping the members of the community that have been affected. It's very rewarding to do that," she said.

Over the past decade, Herosy has volunteered at disaster sites across the country as well as locally. She credits Campbell's Community Emergency Response Team for getting her involved in volunteering for the Red Cross.

After she learned at a CERT meeting that the Red Cross needed help dealing with the aftermath of hurricanes in Florida in 2004, she signed up to volunteer. She did some training and then was deployed for her first hurricane.

Over the years, Herosy has responded to hurricanes in New Orleans, flooding in Boston, earthquakes in Nevada and fires in Yosemite.

"If there were a disaster in Hawaii or Guam, we would go there too. We handle the U.S. and its territories," she said.

Herosy said she is usually deployed about once a year. However, she was deployed three times in 2013, responding to flooding in Colorado and the Asiana airplane crash at the San Francisco airport in July. She also volunteered in Manhattan during the Hurricane Sandy aftermath for about 30 days.

Herosy said the mudslide is different from other types of disasters, such as hurricanes, since efforts to find victims are ongoing.

Originally from the Boston area, Herosy moved to the Bay Area in 1980. She has lived in Campbell for 14 years and is serving her fifth year on the Civic Improvement Commission. She is also part of a core team reviewing the Civic Center Master Plan.